centime

American  

[sahn-teem, sahn-teem] / ˈsɑn tim, sɑ̃ˈtim /

noun

plural

centimes

1. a monetary unit of various nations and territories, as Lichtenstein, Martinique, Senegal, Switzerland, and Tahiti, one 100th of a franc.

2. a monetary unit of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg until the euro was adopted, one 100th of a franc.

3. a money of account of Haiti, one 100th of a gourde.

4. an aluminum coin and monetary unit of Algeria, one 100th of a dinar.

5. an aluminum coin and monetary unit of Morocco, one 100th of a dirham.

---

centime British  

/ sɑ̃tim, ˈsɒnˌtiːm /

noun

1. a monetary unit of Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, French Polynesia, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Mali, Mayotte, Morocco, New Caledonia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Switzerland, and Togo. It is worth one hundredth of their respective standard units

2. a former monetary unit of Andorra, Belgium, France, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Luxembourg, Martinique, Monaco, and Réunion, worth one hundredth of a franc

---

Etymology

Origin of centime

First recorded in 1795–1805; from French; Old French centiesme, from Latin centēsimum, accusative of centēsimus “hundredth”; see cent

Explanation

Just like a cent is one-hundredth of a dollar, a centime is one-hundredth of a franc, a basic unit of money once used in France and still used in Switzerland and some other places. Centimes aren't as common as they used to be, as some European countries that used to use francs now use euros. However, the centime lives on in some countries, especially those that were colonized or heavily influenced by France and still have many French speakers. For example, Algeria and Morocco still refer to one-hundredth of their base currencies — dinars and dirhams, respectively — as centimes.

Example Sentences

"Centime if you like. —would be merely to increase our taxes."

From Greener Than You Think by Moore, Ward